The Picture of Dorian Gray is a harrowing tale of a man who sells his soul for youth and beauty. Starring a vain man living a life of decadence in 19th-century England, the author marks the main character's descent into vice by the slow decay of his painting into a work of art so evil, it haunts his very existence. Oscar Wilde's only novel, it is a macabre and mesmerizing story examining the effects of evil and debauchery on the human soul, and a true gothic classic.